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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · date · mouse · saw · patient · bass · cabinet · club

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. club — a group
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bass — the fish
  10. saw — the tool
  11. club — for golf
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bass — low music
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. club — for dancing
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. saw — the tool
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mouse — for a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com